GRE study resources
Practice answering a specific claim under a 30-minute clock. These twelve original Issue prompts cover education, technology, public policy, and work and culture, with directions and a planning hint for each.
ETS publishes the pool from which its Issue topics are selected. Follow the “Pool of Issue topics” section on the official Issue-task page for that resource. The prompts below are independently written practice material, not leaked questions or a prediction of your test-day topic.
The current test asks you to analyze an Issue. Older resources may also discuss an Argument essay; that is a different task from the one you will practice here. With an Issue, you develop and defend your own position. You can agree, disagree or qualify your agreement, provided your reasoning addresses the actual directions.
Choose a prompt, take a moment to read its directions, and start the timer when you begin planning. For a realistic attempt, leave the hint closed and avoid pausing. Pausing is available for untimed learning and interruptions.
Universities should require every undergraduate to complete a substantial project that benefits the surrounding community.Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation. Consider circumstances in which it would or would not be beneficial, and explain how those circumstances shape your position.
Distinguish a meaningful partnership from compulsory hours. Consider access for students with jobs or caring responsibilities.
Switching prompts resets the timer and keeps each prompt’s draft.
0 words · The timer resets when you reload. This workspace does not grade your essay or submit it to Test Ninjas.
Use these as timed writing assignments or shorter outlining exercises. The examples are grouped by theme to help you vary your practice, not because every topic in a category calls for the same argument.
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation. Consider circumstances in which it would or would not be beneficial, and explain how those circumstances shape your position.
Distinguish a meaningful partnership from compulsory hours. Consider access for students with jobs or caring responsibilities.
Assess this recommendation and explain the conditions under which it would help or hinder students.
Compare a student still exploring options with one in a tightly sequenced professional program.
Explain your position, addressing the strongest objection to it.
Weigh authentic problem solving against the difficulty of identifying each student’s contribution.
Discuss the extent to which you agree, considering both benefits and practical limitations.
Consider an incorrect benefits denial, the reviewer’s authority, and the cost of a workable appeal process.
Evaluate the recommendation and identify circumstances that would change your judgment.
Local needs may matter more than a universal budget rule. Compare internet access, literacy and existing collections.
Develop a position and discuss an example that could challenge it.
Separate convenience for the organization from a user’s informed choice, and consider data minimization.
Discuss the extent to which you agree, considering the likely effects on different groups.
Consider commuters, disabled visitors, small businesses and neighborhoods without reliable transit.
Assess the recommendation, explaining when a pilot is and is not a useful guide.
A small voluntary pilot may not predict nationwide behavior; urgent problems may not allow a long trial.
Explain your position and the tradeoffs involved in allocating limited resources.
Compare a diversified research portfolio with placing all funding in either safe or speculative projects.
Develop your view, explaining how the setting may affect the value of open disagreement.
Distinguish debate before a decision from execution during a time-sensitive emergency.
Discuss the extent to which you agree and consider possible limits to this approach.
Multiple perspectives need evidence; presenting every claim as equally supported can confuse visitors.
Evaluate the claim and explain how an organization’s goals might affect your conclusion.
Consider complementary expertise, a shared technical baseline, and the coordination needed to use differences productively.
A useful starting allocation is five minutes to plan, twenty minutes to write, and five minutes to review. Adjust this during practice to suit your writing speed. It is a study recommendation, not a required test format.
You do not need specialist knowledge to reason about these topics. If you use a hypothetical example, frame it as a possibility rather than inventing a study or statistic. Precise reasoning is more useful than an unsupported claim that sounds authoritative.
After a timed attempt, leave the draft unchanged long enough to assess what you produced under the clock. Then use a separate revision pass to improve it. Ask these questions in order:
Compare your reasoning with the two annotated essay examples, then consult the official rubric. Keep a short note about one improvement to practice next time. Writing three drafts with deliberate revision is more informative than completing many essays without reviewing them.
No. The twelve prompts on this page are original Test Ninjas practice material. ETS publishes the official pool separately; use the linked ETS Issue-task page to find it.
The current GRE General Test gives you 30 minutes for one Analyze an Issue task. Planning, writing and reviewing all take place within that time.
The writing workspace tries to save drafts in local storage in your current browser. They do not sync across devices and may disappear if you clear browser data. Download a text copy for a durable backup. The timer resets on reload.
No. It provides a timer, word count, outlining hints and a draft download. Use the official rubric and the annotated examples to review your work. It does not provide an ETS score.
Official test information checked November 9, 2026. Practice material and study recommendations are by Test Ninjas.